ABSTRACT
This chapter considers an evolutionary approach to religion that spotlights the importance of feeling. It starts with a consideration of how Charles Darwin transformed our understanding of human beings by demonstrating the biological connection between humans and animals. This included, for Darwin, special attention to the correspondence between human and animal emotions. Building on this approach, the “lifeworld” science of Jakob von Uexküll is discussed. In this method, humans and other than human animals are defined by the deep emotional relationships we form with the world around us. This suggests a way of thinking about religion as something that is shared by both humans and other animals. Examples of animal behavior that could be viewed as religious are considered in this light. The chapter concludes by thinking through the ethical implications of this new understanding of animal religious emotions.
